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By C. Stapel, AA Groningen, R. J. De Meijer

"In recent years the Environmental Research Group of the KVI has been developing a number of radiometric techniques that may be employed in mineral sand exploration. These techniques involve: radiometric fingerprinting for assessing sand provenances and mineralogical composition; thermoluminescence for dating and provenance determination of sediments; a towed seabed detector to map seafloors for radiogenic heavy minerals and assessing heavy mineral volumes; and simplified transport mechanism models to explain and predict heavy mineral concentrations.All techniques exploit the property that heavy minerals as a group contain concentrations of naturally occurring uranium and thorium that are a hundred to a thousand times higher than in light minerals. In this paper the physics of a number of methods will be described together with a number of results. Based on these results potential applications to mineral exploration and mining are discussed."

Jan 1, 1994

By Jeffrey L. Pagnutti

Train derailment can lead to loss of capital, damage to the environment, and loss of life. Machinery condition monitoring techniques can be used to develop a structural health monitoring system for railway track to detect faults at the incipient stage, before catastrophic failure occurs. This study uses vibration measurements from a novel material haulage unit to develop a decision support system for railway track maintenance. A variety of feature sets and classifiers were compared to determine the optimal configuration for fault detection. The results highlight the shortcomings and advantages of certain methods and describe the process in which the optimal result was obtained. The Parzen data descriptor paired with a refined statistical feature set performed the task of fault detection with less than five percent false positive and false negative classification error. Overall, the outcome of these experiments indicated that condition monitoring of railway systems is a promising approach for fault detection and has the potential to avoid catastrophic failure.

May 1, 2013

By Les Johnston

_ BACKGROUND - About EPCOR - Genesee Generating Station - Phase 3 Expansion _ TECHNOLOGY SELECTION - Selection Criteria - Combustion Options - Flue Gas Emission Control Options _ STAKEHOLDER VIEWS _ PROJECT STATUS _ EPCOR is an integrated utility company for water, gas, electricity and technology services. _ EPCOR has about 1.6 million customers in Alberta, Ontario, Manitoba, BC, and the U.S. Pacific Northwest. _ EPCOR Generation Inc. operates three power stations in Alberta which were in operation before deregulation, including the coal-fired Genesee Generating Station. _ EPCOR Power Development Corporation owns generating stations in Alberta, BC and Washington State and will be building the Genesee Phase 3 expansion.

May 1, 2002

By Seppo Haapamaki

"Since it started production in 1970, Anderson Lake Mine has experienced several radical changes in mining methods as a result of the physical characteristics of the ore zone along with the need for improved productivity. This paper examines the transition from longhole open stoping to mechanized cut-and fill then to vertical crater retreat at Anderson Lake Mine. The reasons for the need to change mining methods is analyzed taking into consideration the impact of such criteria as improved productivity and ground conditions and how these criteria affected the over-all economic viability of the mine. IntroductionAnderson Lake Mine is one of five producing copper mines in the Snow Lake area and is situated approximately 3 km southeast of the townsite of Snow Lake (Fig. I).The mine production rate at Anderson Lake is 700 tpd and all ore is trucked from the mine to the mill located approximately 2.5 km from the mine site . The mine is serviced by a three-compartment shaft sunk to a depth of 3300 ft with level spacings at 175 ft and 150 ft intervals from the 600 ft level to the 3000 ft level. .The shaft was collared in 1965 and, a year later, the hoist and compressors were installed. By 1969, a crusher system had been built and actual production began in 1970. During 1978, production was suspended for the year to allow for 430 ft of shaft deepening."

Jan 1, 1988

By M. C. Bétournay

Under the requirement to define the economic advantages of using hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, a broad-scoped project was initiated to quantify the costs associated with operating fuel cell vehicles and diesel vehicles. While ventilation savings are clearly an advantage for the former, a complete and detailed analysis of this and other operational and capital cost elements was undertaken in order to provide the mining industry with factual information in considering the changeover from one technology to another. This paper outlines the results of the investigations to date defining the costs/benefits associated with capital purchases, operations (electrical/diesel, mine air heating fuel, ventilation, openings, surface and underground infrastructure, maintenance, labour, etc.), delivery of energy, regulatory obligations, and mine production. Considerations are given to the type and size of a mining operation, the depth, and location in North America. Significant ventilation power, equipment, and infrastructure savings are possible with the application of fuel cells for shallower mine applications. At depth, where heat is an issue, there is a reduction in benefit. Specific qualifiers such as minimum air velocities, dust dilution, shaft, and heating system velocity limits must be considered on an individual mine basis. While the capital cost for fuel cell mining equipment is currently higher than diesel versions, the high cost of fuel cells is anticipated to be reduced significantly in the near future with the intensification of manufacturing. In either case, the operational savings would probably be sufficient to balance the supplementary capitalization costs. Comprehensive reports have been issued.

May 1, 2005

By G. Righettini, G. Desrivières, P. Mousset-Jones, R. Lacroix, M. C. Bétournay, P. Laliberté, S. Hardcastle

"Under the requirement to define the economic advantages of using hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, a broad-scoped project was initiated to quantify the costs associated with operating fuel cell vehicles and diesel vehicles. While ventilation savings are clearly an advantage for the former, a complete and detailed analysis of this and other operational and capital cost elements was undertaken in order to provide the mining industry with factual information in considering the changeover from one technology to another.This paper outlines the results of the investigations to date defining the costs/benefits associated with capital purchases, operations (electrical/diesel, mine air heating fuel, ventilation, openings, surface and underground infrastructure, maintenance, labour, etc.), delivery of energy, regulatory obligations, and mine production. Considerations are given to the type and size of a mining operation, the depth, and location in North America.Significant ventilation power, equipment, and infrastructure savings are possible with the application of fuel cells for shallower mine applications. At depth, where heat is an issue, there is a reduction in benefit. Specific qualifiers such as minimum air velocities, dust dilution, shaft, and heating system velocity limits must be considered on an individual mine basis. While the capital cost for fuel cell mining equipment is currently higher than diesel versions the high cost of fuel cells is anticipated to be reduced significantly in the near future with the intensification of manufacturing. In either case, the operational savings would probably be sufficient to balance the supplementary capitalization costs.Comprehensive reports have been issued."

Jan 1, 2005

By Jean-Marc Simard, Vincent Jourdain, Denis W. Roy

"Seven lithologic units, informally characterized, were recognized in the vicinity of the Montauban orebody. The first five lie in stratigraphic order. From structural bottom to structural top these are: (1) grey composite gneiss; (2) dark grey quartz-biotite gneiss; (3) quartz-biotite-garnet gneiss hosting several calcareous, aluminous and magnesian members and gold mineralization; (4) light grey quartz-muscovite-(sericite)-biotite gneiss; and (5) metabasafts. The last two intrude the sequence: (6) amphibolite dykes and (7) pegmatite veins. The orebody lies on the inverted limb of an overturned synform verging to the west with the metabasafts marking the core of the fold. As the foliation is folded, this fold is attributed to deformation ""D2""; deformation ""DI"" being responsible for the formation of the foliation. A late brittle deformation developed shear zones with probable strike-slip motions. The refined stratigraphy and the identification of the structural position of the orebody provide new tools for regional interpretation and prospecting.RESUMESept unités lithologiques ont été définies informeffement à proximité du gisement de Montauban. Les cinq premieres reposent en ordre stratigraphique; ce sont de la base au sommet structural: (1) le ""gneiss mixte gris""; (2) le gneiss gris forcé à quartz biotite; (3) le gneiss a quartz-biotite-grenat comprenant plusieurs membres calcareux, alumineux et magnésiens ainsi que la minéralisation aurifère; (4) le gneiss gris clair à quartz muscovite- Isericitel-biotite; et (5) les métabasaltes. Les deux autres unites sont intrusives dans la sequence: (6) les dykes d ‘amphibolite et (7) les veines de pegmatite. Le gisement se sitlie sur le flanc inverse d'un synforme déverse vers I' ouest dont les métabasaltes occuperaient le cœur. Comm e la foliation est plissée, ce pli est considère appartenir d la deformation ""D2""; la deformat ion ""DI"" etant responsable de la formation de lafoliation. Une deformation cassante tardive se traduit par des zones de cisaillement, d rejet apparemment directionnel. Cette stratigraphie plus précisé et l'indentification de la position structurale du gisement fournissent de nouveaux omits de prospection et d'interprétation regionalé."

Jan 1, 1987

By Paul Hosford, Tim Haldane

"The paper describes the fast-track development of the project from feasibility study through to detailed design and construction, highlighting the process adaptations for handling sticky ore and water management in a tropical environment, and subsequent commissioning and operating experience of the mine. The paper discusses the geological setting, the environmental and socioeconomic considerations in developing and operating a mining operation in an underdeveloped country and the logistical challenges involved in bringing a large capital investment into Central America.INTRODUCTIONGlamis Gold Ltd. acquired the San Martin project in Honduras as a result of its merger with Mar-West Resources in late 1998. Despite the prevailing low gold price environment at the time of acquisition, Glamis anticipated rapid development of the San Martin project due to the quality of the deposit and other positive factors.Following favorable exploration and permitting activities in the first half of 1999, Glamis prepared a Feasibility study. In October 1999, Glamis decided to proceed with the development of the project and selected Hatch to provide the engineering, procurement and construction management services for the project. The San Martin project was in full-scale commercial operation approximately 14 months after the receipt of Board approval, and by July 2001 the San Martin project was operating at approximately 150% of its feasibility design capacity."

Jan 1, 2002

By Éric Poulin, Simon Gariépy, Mario Paredes Malca

"While the design of a control strategy depends on the available process knowledge, its implementation depends on the available process information. On-line chemical analyzers are today widely spread in the mineral processing industry. A real-time concentration measurement of chemical components is valuable information that could bring control strategies to whole new levels. However, the use of these measures rarely reaches anything more than process monitoring. The reason is simple: the on-line chemical measurements quality is most of the time insufficient to be directly included in control strategies. The choice is then made to let the critical eye of the engineer or the operator appreciates the measurements before making any decision based on it.Data reconciliation through mass balance is a technique today widely used in the mineral processing industry to increase the accuracy and the reliability of plant data, mainly for accounting and survey analysis purposes. Real-time data reconciliation of on-line measurements appears as a natural coupling of technologies that could bring new process optimization trends. Once overcome the technical difficulties, full valorization of the instrumentation investment could be reached.This paper presents the application of real-time data reconciliation for process control and performance monitoring. It proposes a general approach, discusses challenges and illustrates concepts with industry experiences."

Jan 1, 2006

By M. C. Harris

The past twenty to thirty years have seen unprecedented research activity aimed at understanding the performance of flotation froths. In 1990, Finch and Dobby coined the term froth recovery factor, Rr, to represent the efficiency of the froth in delivering particles from the pulp-froth interface to the concentrate. Originally defined for flotation columns, Rr has also been found useful in modeling mechanical flotation cells, and a number of techniques, based on quite different approaches, have been developed for measuring the froth recovery in industrial flotation cells. None of these techniques is universally successful. This paper reviews the concept of the froth recovery factor, and the basis of each of the techniques that have been proposed to measure Rr, and examines the reasons for this parameter being so difficult to pin down. Advances in Mineral Processing Science and Technology Proceedings of the 48th Annual Conference of Metallurgists of CIM Sudbury, Ontario, Canada Edited by

Jan 1, 2009

By Quin Dennis

Process Optimization ?What is it really? It is NOT ?a larger fan to increase draft through a process ?a larger pump on a wet circuit ?a wider conveyor belt for solid materials ?a larger feed elevator into or out of a process These relieve individual constraints ??bottlenecks??and allow operation to the next constraint in the process ?It is also NOT about automating the operator ?which captures consistency but is not continuous optimization

Nov 1, 2011

By Barnard Foo

Topics of Discussion ?Location ?Production & Mining Operation ?Mineralization ?Mining Method ?Rock Mechanics Issues ?Ground Control Problems ?Numerical Analysis ?RockmassBehaviour ?Conclusions & Recommendations ?Discussion

Feb 1, 2008

By J. Z. Cui

In this paper a statistical multi-scale method for the mechanics parameter prediction of the rock mass with random distribution of multi-scale cracks/joints is presented. First the micro-structure of the rock mass with random distribution of multi-scale cracks/joints is represented. Then the statistical second-order two-scale method for the mechanics performance predictions of the rock mass structure with random cracks/joints distribution is presented, including the statistical second-order two-scale expression on the vector-valued displacement, strain tensor and stress tensor, and the algorithm procedure of statistical multi-sale computation for the mechanics parameters. Finally some numerical results for mechanical parameters for the rock mass with random distributions of multi-scale joints/cracks by statistical multi-scale method are shown.

May 1, 2009

By Ronald E. Hamilton

"An attempt to review the recent literature on comminution reveals at once that the subject has many ramifications and that the applications are so diverse that there are very few general statements which can be made.It. seems reasonable to start classification on the basis of size of material as Input to the comminution process. However, we find that this can only be done in a very imprecise manner.The initial step of breaking rock from its natural state of very large pieces in geological formations into sizes suitable for processing is accomplished by blasting. This step in the process has not been ex-amined in this project except to note that great changes have been made during the last decade or so in the explosives used, and in the method of handling them. We should determine what effect changes in mining methods can have on the need for crushing.The second step in the process is usually primary crushing, performed by gyratory or jaw crushers. The largest chunk which can be fed to a jaw crusher depends on the size of the machine, and should be larger than the largest fragment produced in the miring process. It is obvious that the larger the crusher, the less care required in mining to en¬sure the absence of rocks too large to be crushed. The optimum size of crusher to minimize overall cost of mining and reduction is not at all obvious, and no information on this point has come to light in this investigation.It is rather generally accepted that size reduction is most efficiently done in small stages, and that different machines have different opti¬mum size ranges of feed. For example, crushers are preferred for sizes above about 1"", rod mills for the range between 1"" and 0.1"", ball mills are preferred from 0.1""down to perhaps 10 microns, and vibratory mills, or jet mills, below 10 microns."

Jan 1, 1976

By R. H. Seraphim

"Western Mines Limited produces gold, silver, copper, lead and zinc from a number of Paleozoic volcanogenic deposits near Buttle Lake on Vancouver Island. The deposits were emplaced along a series of submarine linear volcanic ridges that extended for at least 6,000 metres in a northwesterly direction.Rock types mapped include: andesitic, dacitic and rhyolitic flow s and volcanic breccias; detrital breccias, tuffs and hematitic silts; black and green cherts; and a variety of dykes and sills, including quartz porphyry and diorite. Orebodies are associated invariably, and in places intimately, with quartzsericite schist and rhyolitic rocks. The ore is complex, varying in mineralogy and tenor both within each deposit and from one deposit to another.Recent studies have increased our knowledge of the structure and left no doubt that the orebodies were deposited both within the throats of the linear vents and on paleoslopes adjacent to these vents.IntroductionWestern Mines Limited operates an 850-tonne-per-day mine, located 85 km south of Campbell River, B.C. The mine is at approximately 400 metres elevation, near the south end of Buttle Lake on Vancouver Island (Fig . I). It has operated since early 1967 and produced 3,650,000 tonnes with an average grade of 1.9 g (0.06 oz) gold, 93 g (3.0 oz) silver, 1.6 per cent copper, 1.0 per cent lead and 7.5 per cent zinc per tonne by the end of 1978. Current reserves are 1,157,000 tonnes of 2.7 g (0.09 oz) gold, 117 g (3 .8 oz) silver , 1.2 per cent copper, 1.2 per cent lead and 8.0 percent zinc per tonne (December 31, 1978).Ore from one zone, known as Myra High-Grade, is mined and milled separately because of its grade. Ore milled prior to December 31,1978, plus reserves, 180,715 tonnes of6.6 g (0.21 oz) gold, 554.5 g (17 .7 oz) silver, 0 .8 per cent copper, 3.2 per cent lead and 10.6 per cent zinc are included in the figures listed in the preceding paragraphs."

Jan 1, 1980

Plan de l?exposé ?? Présentation du site de la mine Restigouche et du mandat confié à Genivar ??Dénoyage de la mine ??Processus d?enlèvement des boues au fond de la fosse ??Utilisation de Géotubes dans le procédé à l?usine de traitement des eaux.

Feb 1, 2008

By Chen Xia, G. Deschenes, Wan-Tai Yen

"Ammonium thiosulphate is a potential replacement for the cyanide in gold leaching. However, the high reagent consumption hinders its practical applications. In order to reduce the thiosulphate consumption, chemical additives were used. The gold leaching tests were conducted on a sulphide copper-bearing gold ore with 0.3M thiosulphate, 0.03M copper sulphate and 3M ammonium hydroxide solution at 44% solids and pH 10.2. Sulphate, sulphite, amino acid and chelating agents were initially used as additives. It was found that chelating agents (EDTA and NTA) could reduce the thiosulphate consumption from 30 kg/t to 17.8 kg/t with some increase of gold extraction. The improvement from other additives was not significant. Other approaches were also attempted to reduce thiosulphate consumption with some success. The thiosulphate consumption could be reduced to about 17 kg/t by reducing copper sulphate concentration fiom 0.03M to 0.0015M; adding 0.04M of EDTA; replacing copper sulphate with 0.001M of nickel sulphate. The increase of pulp density fkom 44% to 60% solids could reduce the thiosulphate consumption to 17 kg/t as well. Limiting the dissolved oxygen content by sparging nitrogen reduced the thiosulphate consumption further to 10 kg/t. It could be concluded that the regulations of copper and oxygen supply in the lixiviant were the keys to reduce the reagent consumption.INTRODUCTIONCyanidation, as the predominant gold leaching method, has been used in mining industry for more than a century. The low reagent requirement and the high performance are the reasons for its great success. However, cyanidation cannot deal with ores containing large amount of copper, nickel, arsenic and zinc minerals. This type of ore may consume more reagents and result in a poor gold extraction. On the other hand, the carbonaceous materials may preg-rob the gold from pregnant solution and make cyanidation a problem leaching method. Further more, the high toxicity of cyanide represents another challenge to modern gold mines. In the beginning of the year 2000, an environmental disaster caused by an accidental spill in Yugoslavia was broadcasted world-widely (Gurevitch 2000). Gold mine operators are facing higher social pressures and increasing costs on environmental protections. The usage of cyanide in mining industry has been banned in some countries and locations such as Czech Republic, Japan, Turkey, California, Colorado, Wisconsin and Montana States. Thus, a non-cyanide lixiviant is required."

Jan 1, 2002

Cobalt mostly occurs as a minor, but valuable, constituent in most nickel and a few copper ores, however it is not generally found alone in commercially viable deposits. Its concentration and extraction are therefore intimately linked to the recovery of the primary metals and the major task for the metallurgist is to extract cobalt of commercial grade from a much larger mass of either nickel or copper and sometimes both. With a particular focus on Vale Inco?s operations, this paper provides a brief overview of the mineralogy of the main deposits being currently exploited that contain cobalt as a co or by-product. The concentration and then extraction to metal are reviewed and some advances released into the public domain are discussed.

May 1, 2009

By A. H. Winckers

"The San Nicolás deposit is a complex fine grained polymetallic volcanogenic massive sulphide deposit located in central Mexico.Metallurgical testwork was carried out in 1999 and 2000 to develop a flowsheet. During the course of the metallurgical testwork it became evident that it would be impossible to develop an accurate head gradehecovery based model for the projection of metallurgy. It was suspected that variability in mineral texture was a predominate factor affecting metallurgy. For this reason it was decided to evaluate the applicability of QEM*SEM technology to this test program.This paper summarizes the metallurgical testwork and describes the evaluation and subsequent application of the QEM*SEM technology to characterize the mineral texture throughout the deposit. Finally it is shown how the QEM*SEM data are used in the mine block model to project the metallurgy.The QEM*SEM (Quantitative Evaluation of Minerals by Scanning Electron Microscopy) is an automated image analysis system developed by CSRO which provides quantitative numerical estimates of the compositional and textural properties of the mineral suite which govern the concentration process.INTRODUCTIONThe San Nicolás deposit, was discovered in 1997 through the application of geological and geophysical techniques. The property lies 60 km southeast of the city of Zacatecas on the central Mexican plateau as shown in Figure 1."

Jan 1, 2002

By Tim Edwards, Richard Triglavcanin, Ian Arbuthnot, Darren Colwell, Brad Garraway, Ken Roberts

"In the mineral processing industries, there is an increasing need to design thickeners which are able to produce high density underflows usually referred to as “paste”.The behaviour of a flocculated suspension in compression needs to be well understood in order to arrive at a reliable thickener tank configuration (i.e. diameter, cone angle and depth) for a required paste result.As a suspension approaches paste consistency, it’s fluid characteristics change markedly. It develops a high yield stress, and may have an increased tendency to form agglomerates, which lead to a phenomenon known as “rotating beds”, “donuts”, or “islands”. These characteristics present challenges to the designer of the rake mechanism.The subject paper addresses the requirements for designing a paste thickener, covering the following topics:o Testwork for thickener sizingo Design of rake mechanismso Suspension rheology and effect on designo Case studiesTESTWORK AND SIZING FOR PASTE THICKENERSThickening slurries to the maximum possible density (paste) is becoming increasingly common. Applications such as Autoclave feed thickeners, paste backfill and some counter current washing (CCD) circuits are all examples of potential paste thickening applications. The principle of paste thickeners is that the compression zone is much deeper than on either high rate (HRT) or high compression (HCT) units; generally 3 metres or more. As the compression zone gets deeper, theunderflow density for a given flux rate (tph/m2) increases, as a result of two factors:1. Longer bed settling time. Settling flocs move relative to one another and release interstitial fluid when they are in compression. Increasing bed residence time achieves higher density underflow as more fluid is removed.2. The nett weight of the bed creates a compressive force on the settling flocs. This force increases with depth, so that the flocs at the bottom of the bed experience the highest compressive force. This represents the driving force to expel interstitial fluid and hence increase bed density."

Jan 1, 2005